Texas Fed Cattle Mostly Lower
In Thursday Trading Last Week

AMARILLO —(USDA)— Slaughter steers and heifers sold $1 lower in Texas Panhandle and Western Oklahoma feedlot trading. Trade was active for a short time at mid-day Thursday, slow to inactive the rest of the week.

Boxed beef cutouts and CME futures both trended lower, prompting packers to shorten kills and reduce bids. Many feedlots sold their showlists but some had to carry cattle over. Most feedyards remain near capacity with numbers of market-ready cattle gradually increasing.

Sale were confirmed on 72,100 head, including 34,600 formulated cattle. The weighted average price of all beef type steers was $69.96. The average liveweight of most cattle slaughtered at area packing plants the previous week was 1179 pounds compared to 1175 a week earlier and 1180 a year ago. Heifer percentages were 47, 48 and 43, respectively.

In other trading areas, slaughter cattle sold steady to $1 lower with declines posted in late week trading on a major volume of the cattle sold. Packer demand was moderate though reserved as wholesale beef prices declined sharply throughout the week. Packers were content to wait for this week after the majority of choice cattle traded as December started a new round of contracts.

Increasing supplies of market-ready cattle combined with heavy weights and the resulting drop in beef cuts will allow packers to continue to put pressure on the market. On the plus side, the drop value rose to $8.02, a healthy figure that will continue to entice maximum kills. Boxed beef cutout values dropped $2.95 to $110.07.

Some Texas trading:

Slaughter steers: select and choice 2-3 1150-1300 lbs. $70, pen $71, weighted average $70; select and few choice 2-3 1150-1300 lbs. $68-69, weighted average $68.73.

Slaughter heifers: select and choice 2-3 1050-1200 lbs. $70, pen $70.50, weighted average $70.01; select and few choice 2-3 1050-1200 lbs. $68-69.50, weighted average $68.80.